My Contributions
In my role as a UX researcher and a junior designer, my core responsibility entailed conducting research on prospective users to gain deeper insights into their needs and preferences. Additionally, I collaborated with the lead designer to prototype solutions based on the research findings. I conducted a research in other to delve into the complexities of user behaviors, needs, and motivations to better understand the target user. This approach enabled me to understand who we were building for and why, enhanced the intuitiveness and seamlessness of the products and services, catering directly to our intended audience. Furthermore, I collaborated closely with the lead designer to craft UI designs, develop prototypes, and conduct rigorous testing.
For this project I applied the principles of the design thinking process. This systematic approach enabled me to methodically extract insights, acquire knowledge, and employ innovative techniques to creatively address challenges and contribute to the success of the business.
Design Strategy
Design strategy is a meeting point between a customer's needs and the profitable goal of a business (Stakeholder). It involves creating a set of principles for customers that also complement the mission and vision of a product or services of a business owner. I was able to gather some valuable data from the stakeholder through the one-on-one stakeholder interview about the brand, its mission and vision, project goals, and competitors, which helped me construct the design strategy.
Competitive Analysis
Our competitive analysis proved to be a valuable exercise, allowing us to gain insights into both the strengths and weaknesses of our existing competitors. it also served as a source of inspiration, offering innovative ideas to bolster our market approach.
Although our product stands as a pioneering venture, with minimal direct competition in its niche, we remained vigilant by identifying potential competitors that may encroach on some of our functionalities. This forward-thinking approach ensures that we are well-prepared to adapt to a dynamic market landscape.
My Attempt
1. To generate a chat function to seek help or lay complaints, for a first hand responds to all users with 24 hours service and immediate response so users don’t feel neglected or ignored
2. To make sure students don’t get scammed by ensuring all posts for apartments are double checked by our staff before being displayed on the app for users to see, also reviewing users post for auction before being displayed on the app
User Research
User research helped me understand user behaviors, needs, and motivations through interviews, observation techniques, task analysis, and other feedback methodologies. it is also a process that helps designers understand the impact of their design on the audience. I worked with the project in conducting extensive research to understand the market, the target audience, and the product's potential competitors. We also analyzed the market trends and customer preferences in order to determine the product's design requirements.
Research Objectives : Understand user pain points, affordance, and needs
Research Methods : Interview and survey
Research Timeline : One week
No. Of Participants : Twenty participants
Interview & Survey
In this study, I conducted a comprehensive research approach that involved both one-on-one research interviews and surveys. This methodology allowed me to gain invaluable insights into the challenges and requirements of Nigerian youth corps members. It also facilitated the identification of areas where we could offer assistance, aiding in the development of user personas and providing a foundation for brainstorming solutions to the identified issues. The research interview consisted of ten carefully crafted questions, while the survey included fifteen questions. Here, I've listed four of the key interview questions that participants were asked to address
Question 1 : What are the challenges you faced during your service year, and how did you manage them?
Question 2 : Have you faced any form of insecurity or harassment during and before your service year?
Question 3 : What do you think could be done to improve the NYSC program and make it more interactive?
Question 4 : Are you satisfied with the support and resources provided by the Federal government?
Participants (Recruiting process)
For the interview session, we wanted most participants to be ex-corps members. By doing so we hoped to achieve the best experience and see if our assumptions are valid. If not, we identify the needs and challenges they faced to enable us to help incoming corps members with a seamless service year.
A total of 20 participants were recruited for this session through the WhatsApp community meant for job seekers. We also made sure the participants were of both genders and ranged from the age 20 - 40 years old. few participants were interviewed offline while majority were done through WhatsApp voice & video calls, and for the survey a Google form survey link was created, the survey was created for both to ex-corps members and students. A total of 20 responses were achieved from the survey.
Key Findings
1. Out of 14 past corps members, only 6 had jobs that made them have fewer worries about finances or getting comfortable accommodation during their service year, while the rest found their service year challenging due to late payment and unemployment.
2. The majority of the participants depended on their parents for their basic needs and source of income, stated reasons majorly were a lack of job opportunities in Nigeria and the rest were due to parental rules.
3. A total 10 participants out of 20, of which 4 were students and 6 were ex-corps members stated that the major factor they put into consideration when getting a new apartment is the price range, while the rest had different opinions.
4. Also from comments several corps added we found out that inflation and unstable prices in commodities are great challenges whereby making these corps members uncertain about predicting future prices and making financial decisions difficult.
Key Insights and Recommendations #
In this study we made helpful rulings, we were able to decide and pick out vital features/functions to include in our product bridge. Now these features we came up with fit, and meet the expectations, and needs and solve the problems of our prospective users respectively.
No charges applied : While our mobile and web app allows users to auction old and used items with the auction feature while waiting for approval from our team to confirm products before making it public for other users to see and place bids, it is entirely free.
Customer success : We decided to create a strong bond between users and our brand by creating a walking outlet for customers/users to seek support or pick up an item alongside the unique mobile and web app feature that allows users to speak directly to customer care and lay complaints.
Ease financial expenses : All Products are very affordable, as the goal is to ease users’ expenses. So we created a feature that allows users to share an apartment together by splitting the rent price in half so it's more affordable, which is optional by the way. All users need to do after signing up and getting verified is connect with another fellow member, make a post if desired for any interested roommate, after choosing a partner ask for and add the roommate call-up ID submit along with other details required, and wait for Payment confirmation and if the prospective roommate accepted the offer. furthermore, we created a function that allows users to pay in installments.
Customer-oriented : Although Bridge is specifically created for youth corps and will be used by them alone for their basic needs these youths/Users should also be put into consideration since they’re end users. In other words:
# safety-wise, only apartments approved by our team after conducting findings will be posted to avoid scam
# The process of renting an apartment on the platform must be smooth user friendly,
# There should be a receipt to indicate payment was successful
# All apartments must be affordable
In this study we made helpful rulings, we were able to decide and pick out vital features/functions to include in our product bridge. Now these features we came up with fit, and meet the expectations, and needs and solve the problems of our prospective users respectively.
No charges applied : While our mobile and web app allows users to auction old and used items with the auction feature while waiting for approval from our team to confirm products before making it public for other users to see and place bids, it is entirely free.
Customer success : We decided to create a strong bond between users and our brand by creating a walking outlet for customers/users to seek support or pick up an item alongside the unique mobile and web app feature that allows users to speak directly to customer care and lay complaints.
Ease financial expenses : All Products are very affordable, as the goal is to ease users’ expenses. So we created a feature that allows users to share an apartment together by splitting the rent price in half so it's more affordable, which is optional by the way. All users need to do after signing up and getting verified is connect with another fellow member, make a post if desired for any interested roommate, after choosing a partner ask for and add the roommate call-up ID submit along with other details required, and wait for Payment confirmation and if the prospective roommate accepted the offer. furthermore, we created a function that allows users to pay in installments.
Customer-oriented : Although Bridge is specifically created for youth corps and will be used by them alone for their basic needs these youths/Users should also be put into consideration since they’re end users. In other words:
# safety-wise, only apartments approved by our team after conducting findings will be posted to avoid scam
# The process of renting an apartment on the platform must be smooth user friendly,
# There should be a receipt to indicate payment was successful
# All apartments must be affordable
Affinity Mapping
With affinity mapping I was able to transformed the raw data obtained from the research into valuable insights. In other words, This process involves compressing and structuring the research findings into clusters that represented common relationships and patterns.
User Persona
For this study, i developed three fictional personas representing two distinct user segments. The first segment includes individuals in the pre-service phase, preparing to serve, while the second segment encompasses those who have already completed their service year.
Journey Map
Journey map provides a visual representation of the user's experience, which helped me identify the user's pain points, opportunities for improvement, and enhance user satisfaction.
How Might We?
During this phase, I employed the "how might we" method as a part of the design process to explore innovative ideas aimed at addressing user pain points. The "how might we" questions served as catalysts for generating a multitude of creative solutions and concepts
User flow
A user flow is a visual representation that maps out a users each and every move of action or journey when interacting or engaging with a product, service, or website. It outlines the steps and interactions a user takes while trying to achieve a specific goal or task, providing me with a comprehensive view of the user's experience.